Peavey Windsor Guitar Amplifier Head (100 Watts)

Feature:
It has too many features. Just a clean signal path with a volume and a tone stack is all that was needed. It would be a great amp at that point, and probably could be even less expensive than it already is.

Quality:
The fit and finish is fine. It's not a boutique item and no one would ever mistake it for one. But it looks nice enough. Is it rugged? I really don't know -- I'm not about to bang it around if I can avoid it. It doesn't strike me as fragile, but I'm guessing it isn't exactly bulletproof.

Value:
High marks here. I happened to pick up a B stock for a nice savings. But even at regular price, it's a good value for the money. I'd easily gig with this head if I ever ended up in a situation where such power was appropriate. I purchased it just to have it in stock for that purpose, but normally gig with 15W - 30W through 2 x 10s or 2 x 12s.

Desirability:
It's not UN-attractive, but it's not overly attractive either. What's most interesting is 100W worth of EL34s for a great price.

Sound:
This is a matter of wide debate. The amp doesn't clean up perfectly, that's true. Now, that said, running 2x12 Greenbacks in an open Geezer Sound slant front cab plus a Vintage 30 and G12H in a closed-back Dr. Z "Z-Best" cab on the bottom, it's pretty damn impressive sounding to me. It needs a lot of dialing in. It has all these controls on it, all of which are entirely unnecessary and in fact work against the tone. That's all true. But I just found a place to leave them and just forget that thery're even there. Do I wish they weren't there? Yes. For this price, is that a show-stopper? Nope.

Ease of Use:
Have to get past all the excess crapola. Once that's done, turn it on and off -- big whup.

Support:
N/A.

Overall:
I'm always looking for inexpensive ways to extend the palette. It's not about finding a silver bullet solution, but to have a range of tools to choose from depending on the situation. I use 100W so infrequently that it makes no sense for me to invest in a high price boutique head. I did make that investment for a MAZ-18, right in the sweet spot of the power I like best for small clubs. That amp is a tone machine, no doubt, and I'll end up buying one of his Route 66s also. But I just found one of those leftover Vietnamese-made Crate Palomino 30 W combos with one 12" Celestion in it (I'm guessing the Model Seventy-80 but not certain.) Not the same as the MAZ-18 exactly, but hey! I'll gig with the Crate just in case some dork spills beer my way. Like the Crate to the Z-amp, the Windsor head does most of the job a boutique head would do for a mere fraction of the money. I like that idea. That's a perfect example of the 80-20 Rule: get 80 percent there for 20 percent of the cost. Cool by me. The only thing one has to watch is that reliability stuff -- some manufacturers have been horrible in that regard. But Peavey has always been solid, so I feel I can trust their product maybe a little more than the well-known German-based cost leader.

Feature:
This amp is nice for what it is, a single channel w/ boost option amp. Fine knob configuration, easy to dial-in. The construction is nice, seems very well built, and the tubes are very secure in the amp. (I can't see them coming loose at all???). Hey, it's a Peavey, I've owned many of their amps over the years and they have all been rock-solid, and this head seems to be no exception. But.... the Footswitch for the boost option is not included, seperate purchase.

Quality:
Built like a tank (for a tube amp). Seems quite dependable, but always get a back-up for playing out.

Value:
I don't know of a better deal for a "All-tube" amp.

Desirability:
I'm still getting used to the "white vynil" look. Might cover it with something I deem Metal. It does catch the eye though.

Sound:
I'm 34 and been playing guitar for 15 years now.I don't use the amp for distortion, ( has a bit too much "british rasp" tone for me). I use it only for power. I use a digitech rp-250 for my "slightly-scooped american metal" tone. The amp does very well for this purpose, and is very loud, on 2 it overpowers my drummer, and that's not easy. Don't forget to match the ohm's w/ your cab if possible, this will definately affect you volume. If using a processor with the amp clean, you might have to tweak your gain output from your effects so you don't run too hot into the amp. Also the a/b knob will help get a "loose british sound or a tight american sound",very important knob!

Ease of Use:
The learning curve on the amp is pretty small, just try some of the tips I mention above.

Support:
Dunno, never had to use them.

Overall:
Great for how I use it, suits me fine. To me it was worth every penny. For now, I'll keep it until something bigger and badder comes my way